Current Awardee | > Online Nomination Form

September 2004
Natasha D'Souza | Senior Biochemistry
Employed by the Department of Physics & Astronomy

Our very first Ovation awardee is Natasha D'Souza, a Senior Biochemistry major working in the Department of Physics & Astronomy and in the Center for Materials Research and Analysis. As her four nominations say, "Natasha is probably one of the finest young people I have ever come across in my many years here at UNL. She joined the Physics & Astronomy Department in the Spring of 2002. She is always with a smile and willing at any time to go that extra mile no matter what we ask of her. She is considerate of others at all times and has a "great" work ethic. She is enjoyable to be around and extremely conscientious...

"I never have to explain anything twice and everything is done correct the first time. Because of her outstanding abilities, I am able to delegate very difficult tasks to her. Last fall we hosted a Review and Workshop for a large NSF grant. I asked Natasha if she could help as her schedule permitted. She not only came in very early to help with the registration table, but she stayed late, postponing her evening plans. She helped greatly with this conference, assisting with the registration, assembly/disassembly of the easels for the poster session, running numerous errands between the City Union and Brace Lab, and all with a smile on her face! I have never heard her complain and her attitude has always been positive...

"Natasha performs well above the level of any available student worker position. Natasha updates grant listings for the business office, prepares source data for charging intramural charges for the physics shop and CMRA core facilities. She has the ability to detect errors, questions whether charges are legitimate and suggest solutions...

"Her dedication and attention to detail are outstanding. She reads notices she is asked to copy and post and on occasion has noted errors which have been corrected before the notice was publicized. When given a new project, Natasha only needs minimal direction and only once. She is always willing to go the extra mile and has no hesitation when asked to perform any task, and it is always with a smile. She asks for any mail to hand deliver anywhere on campus each day when she is ready to leave the department. This is in addition to mail she may have been asked to deliver in the course of her duties. She is truly an outstanding student worker."